Jaggery Karchikai

Karchi Kai /Karanji / Sweet fried Kadubu is one of the traditional dish prepared for Ganapati and Deepavali. It is one of the easy dish and can be kept for a long time ( At least a week).

Varieties of stuffing can be done according to your imagination. The outer layer is done with chiroti rava and maida. The filling/stuffing is like coconut, jaggery or sugar, dry fruits, dates and candy sugar etc.
Here I have used roasted chenna, jaggery, thin variety of semolina and little maida.
Use of ghee helps the outer layer to be crispy and crunchy.
It is easy, simple and jaggery is used instead of sugar. Chiroti rava in a al
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

For Outer Layer/Cover/Kanaka 
Chiroti Rava : 1 Cup
Maida : 1/2 Cup or little less
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : A little
Hoorana /Stuffing
Roasted Chenna /Huri Kadale : 1/2 Cup/ 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Dry coconut : Cup
Cardamom :  5 to 6 Pods
Jaggery : 1/2 Cup (Powdered)
Oil : to Fry : 2 Cups

Method :

1. Dry grind dry coconut and keep it aside.

2. Dry grind jaggery, roasted chenna and cardamom pods nicely till powder.

3. Take a big bowl and put coconut powder, jaggery mixture and mix it well.

4. Take a big bowl, put chiroti rava/thin variety of semolina and maida/All purpose flour.

5. Add required salt, a tablespoon of ghee and mix all the ingredients nicely for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add water ( little by little ) and prepare the dough.
7. Kneed the dough nicely and divide the dough into small portion.

8. Roll each small portion and stuff some sweet mixture and fold the karchikai and press it at the edges. So that it does not get open while frying in oil.

9. Arrange the done karchikai in a plate or tray.

10. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil. Let it get heated.  (On low flame).
11. Put folded karchikai/karanji one by one and fry on both sides.

12.Remove it from the pan and put it on a kitchen tissue.

13. Repeat the same and prepare rest of karchikai.

14. Let it cool. Serve them with as snack.

Note : 

Do not add any water while dry grinding. No need to heat sweet mixture on the pan. Roasted chenna helps to take away the moisture. Use of more / less jggery is optional. Use of more ghee while preparing the dough helps the dough to turn crispy. Let the flame be low while frying also. It helps the kachori layer to be crunchy
Time: 30 to 40 Minutes
Serves : 15 to 20.

Roasted Chenna - Dry Coconut Karchikai.

Happy Deepavali : Enjoy the Festival of Lights with loads of Sweets and Savoury.
KarchiKai/Karanji/Jujiya/Karchikayilu 

Karchikai/karanji/sweet poori /Jujeeya , the names are bit different. The sweet is the same with different stuffing. Here is one of the traditional Karchikai Recipe that is very easy and with simple ingredients.
I have seen Our relative and a close friend Tara preparing these Kachoris for Ganesha Festival. I realized that kadale poppu, roasted chenna, sugar and dry coconut makes a good combination and it does not make the kachori that soft very next day.
Since long I wanted to try these kachoris and Deepavali is the perfect time and Kachori is the perfect sweet that one can prepare in lot and distribute it around the neighbours and friends.
I have used Thin variety of rava/semolina, roasted chenna, sugar and dry coconut/Copra. You can use dry fruits like raisins and cashews. (Optional).
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Thin variety of Rava/Chiroti rava/Semolina : 1 Cup
Maida : 1/2 Cup.
Ghee : 2 Tablespoons
Sugar : 2 to 3 Tablespoons (1/4 Cup)
Dry coconut :  1 Cup
Roasted Chenna /Hurikadale/Kadale poppu : 1 Cup
Salt : Very little (1 to 2 pinch)
Cooking Oil : 1 to 1 1/2 cup.

Method : 

1. Put Rava, maida, salt and ghee in the big bowl.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients nicely.

3. Add required water little by little and prepare thick chapati dough.

4. Dry grind roasted chenna and coconut. Dry grind sugar.

5. Mix all these powdered sugar, chenna and coconut nicely. Keep it aside.

6. Now kneed chapati dough nicely and divide them in to small portions.
7. Take a small portion of the dough and kneed it well.

8. Roll it as big chapati and take a small cap or cup, cut into small round shape.
9. Place a tablespoon of sweet mixture and fold it at the end and give 1/2 moon shape.

10. Press the edges tight so that it does not open up while frying in hot oil.

11. Keep a frying pan on the fire and put oil. Let it get hot.
12. Fry the ready kachoris on both side in low and medium flame.

13. Remove from the hot oil and put them on a kitchen tissue.
14. Repeat the same and fry remaining kachoris.

15. Let it get cooled. Put it in a glass jar or airtight box. Serve whenever you feel like.

Note :

You can add more maida if you wish.
You can also add more sugar to the sweet mixture. Just fill in the sweet mixture. (Do not fry or roast).
You can divide the dough into very small quantity and then roll each portion and then prepare kachori.(Optional)
Frying them on low flame makes kachoris crisp and it does not get soft later.
Time : 30 to 40 minutes.
Serves : 20 Small Kachoris.